|
A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
STATUTE
I hereby state, in unmistakable
language, the follow- ing statute in the morale of Christian
Science: - |
| 18 |
A man or woman, having voluntarily entered into wedlock,
and accepted the claims of the marriage cove- nant, is held in Christian
Science as morally bound to |
| 21 |
fulfil all the claims growing out of this contract,
unless such claims are relinquished by mutual consent of both parties,
or this contract is legally dissolved. If the man |
| 24 |
is dominant over the animal, he will count the conse-
quences of his own conduct; will consider the effects, on himself and his
progeny, of selfishness, unmerciful- |
| 27 |
ness, tyranny, or lust.
Trust Truth, not error; and Truth will
give you all that belongs to the rights of freedom. The Hebrew bard
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| 1 |
wrote, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean
not unto thine own understanding." Nothing is gained |
| 3 |
by wrong-doing. St. Paul's words take in the situation:
"Not . . . (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we
say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? |
| 6 |
whose damnation is just."
When causing others to go astray, we
also are wan- derers. "With what measure ye mete, it shall be
meas- |
| 9 |
ured to you again." Ask yourself: Under the same
circumstances, in the same spiritual ignorance and power of passion, would
I be strengthened by having my best |
| 12 |
friend break troth with me? These words of St. Matthew
have special application to Christian Scientists; namely, "It is not good
to marry." |
| 15 |
To build on selfishness is to build on sand. When Jesus
received the material rite of water baptism, he did not say that it was
God's command; but implied that |
| 18 |
the period demanded it. Trials purify mortals and deliver
them from themselves, - all the claims of sensuality. Abide by the
morale of absolute Christian Science, - |
| 21 |
self-abnegation and purity; then Truth delivers you from
the seeming power of error, and faith vested in righteous- ness
triumphs!
ADVICE TO
STUDENTS
The true consciousness is the true
health. One says, "I find relief from pain in unconscious sleep." I
say, |
| 27 |
You mistake; through unconsciousness one no more gains
freedom from pain than immunity from evil. When unconscious of a mistake,
one thinks he is not mistaken; |
| 30 |
but this false consciousness does not change the fact,
or
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| 1 |
its results; suffering and mistakes recur until one is
awake to their cause and character. To know the what, when, |
| 3 |
and how of error, destroys error. The error that is seen
aright as error, has received its death-blow; but never until then. |
| 6 |
Let us look through the lens of Christian Science, not of
"self," at the following mistake, which demands our present attention. I
have no time for detailed report |
| 9 |
of this matter, but simply answer the following question
sent to me; glad, indeed, that this query has finally come with the courage
of conviction to the minds of many |
| 12 |
students.
"Is it right to copy your works and
read them for our public services?" |
| 15 |
The good which the material senses see not is the only
absolute good; the evil which these senses see not is the only absolute
evil. |
| 18 |
If I enter Mr. Smith's store and take from it his gar-
ments that are on sale, array myself in them, and put myself and them on
exhibition, can I make this right |
| 21 |
by saying, These garments are Mr. Smith's; he manu-
factured them and owns them, but you must pay me, not him, for this
exhibit? |
| 24 |
The spectators may ask, Did he give you permission to do
this, did he sell them or loan them to you? No. Then have you asked
yourself this question on the sub- |
| 27 |
ject, namely, What right have I to do this? True, it
saves your purchasing these garments, and gives to the public new patterns
which are useful to them; but does |
| 30 |
this silence your conscience? or, because you have con-
fessed that they are the property of a noted firm, and you wished to handle
them, does it justify you in appro-
Page 300 |
| 1 |
priating them, and so avoiding the cost of hiring or
purchasing? |
| 3 |
Copying my published works verbatim, compiling
them in connection with the Scriptures, taking this copy into the
pulpit, announcing the author's name, then reading |
| 6 |
it publicly as your own compilation, is - what?
We answer, It is a mistake; in common
parlance, it is an ignorant wrong. |
| 9 |
If you should print and publish your copy of my works,
you would be liable to arrest for infringement of copy- right, which the
law defines and punishes as theft. Read- |
| 12 |
ing in the pulpit from copies of my publications gives
you the clergyman's salary and spares you the printer's bill, but does it
spare you our Master's condemnation? |
| 15 |
You literally publish my works through the pulpit,
instead of the press, and thus evade the law, but not the gospel.
When I consent to this act, you will then be justified |
| 18 |
in it.
Your manuscript copy is liable, in
some way, to be printed as your original writings, thus incurring the
pen- |
| 21 |
alty of the law, and increasing the record of theft in
the United States Circuit Court.
To The Church of Christ, Scientist, in
Boston, which I |
| 24 |
had organized and of which I had for many years been
pastor, I gave permission to cite, in the Christian Science
Quarterly, from my work Science and Health, passages |
| 27 |
giving the spiritual meaning of Bible texts; but this
was a special privilege, and the author's gift.
Christian Science demonstrates that
the patient who |
| 30 |
pays whatever he is able to pay for being healed, is
more apt to recover than he who withholds a slight equiva- lent for
health. Healing morally and physically are one.
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| 1 |
Then, is compiling and delivering that sermon for which
you pay nothing, and which you deliver without the |
| 3 |
author's consent, and receive pay therefor, the
precedent
for preaching Christian Science, - and are you doing to
the author of the above-named book as you would |
| 6 |
have others do unto you?
Those authors and editors of pamphlets
and periodi- cals whose substance is made up of my publications,
are |
| 9 |
morally responsible for what the law construes as crime.
There are startling instances of the above-named law- breaking and
gospel-opposing system of authorship, which |
| 12 |
characterize the writings of a few professed Christian
Scientists. My Christian students who have read copies of my works in the
pulpit require only a word to be wise; |
| 15 |
too sincere and morally statuesque are they to be long
led into temptation; but I must not leave persistent plagiarists without
this word of warning in public, since |
| 18 |
my private counsel they disregard.
To the question of my true-hearted
students, "Is it right to copy your works and read them for our
public |
| 21 |
services?" I answer: It is not right to copy my book and
read it publicly without my consent. My reasons are as follows:
- |
| 24 |
First: This method is an unseen form of injustice
standing in a holy place.
Second: It breaks the Golden Rule, - a divine rule |
| 27 |
for human conduct.
Third: All error tends to harden the heart, blind the eyes, stop
the ears of understanding, and inflate |
| 30 |
self; counter to the commands of our hillside Priest, to
whom Isaiah alluded thus: "I have trodden the wine- press alone; and of the
people there was none with me."
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| 1 |
Behind the scenes lurks an evil which you can prevent it
is a purpose to kill the reformation begun and increas- |
| 3 |
ing through the instructions of "Science and Health with
Key to the Scriptures;" it encourages infringement of my copyright, and
seeks again to "cast lots for his vesture," |
| 6 |
- while the perverter preserves in his own consciousness
and teaching the name without the Spirit, the skeleton without the heart,
the form without the comeliness, the |
| 9 |
sense without the Science, of Christ's healing. My stu-
dents are expected to know the teaching of Christian Sci- ence sufficiently
to discriminate between error and Truth, |
| 12 |
thus sparing their teacher a task and themselves the
temptation to be misled.
Much good has been accomplished
through Christian |
| 15 |
Science Sunday services. If Christian Scientists
occasion- ally mistake in interpreting revealed Truth, of two evils the
less would be not to leave the Word unspoken and |
| 18 |
untaught. I allowed, till this permission was
withdrawn, students working faithfully for Christ's cause on
earth, the privilege of copying and reading my works for Sunday |
| 21 |
service; provided, they each and all destroyed the
copies at once after said service. When I should so elect and give
suitable notice, they were to desist from further copy- |
| 24 |
ing of my writings as aforesaid.
This injunction did not curtail the
benefit which the student derived from making his copy, nor detract
from |
| 27 |
the good that his hearers received from his reading
thereof; but it was intended to forestall the possible evil of putting
the divine teachings contained in "Science and Health |
| 30 |
with Key to the Scriptures" into human hands, to sub-
vert or to liquidate.
I recommend that students stay within
their own fields
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| 1 |
of labor, to work for the race; they are lights that can-
not be hid, and need only to shine from their home sum- |
| 3 |
mits to be sought and found as healers physical and
moral.
The kindly shepherd has his own fold
and tends his |
| 6 |
own flock. Christian students should have their own
institutes and, unmolested, be governed by divine Love alone in
teaching and guiding their students. When |
| 9 |
wisdom garrisons these strongholds of Christian Science,
peace and joy, the fruits of Spirit, will rest upon us all. We are brethren
in the fullest sense of that word; there- |
| 12 |
fore no queries should arise as to "who shall be great-
est." Let us serve instead of rule, knock instead of push at the door of
human hearts, and allow to each |
| 15 |
and every one the same rights and privileges that we
claim for ourselves. If ever I wear out from serving students, it shall be
in the effort to help them to obey |
| 18 |
the Ten Commandments and imbibe the spirit of Christ's
Beatitudes.
NOTICE |
| 21 |
Editor of Christian Science Journal: - You will oblige
me by giving place in your Journal to the following notice.
The idea and purpose of a Liberty Bell is pleasing, and |
| 24 |
can be made profitable to the heart of our country. I
feel assured that many Christian Scientists will respond to this letter
by contributions. |
| 27 |
MARY BAKER EDDY
Page 304 |
| 1 |
COLUMBIAN LIBERTY BELL COMMITTEE,
1505 PENNA. AVE., WASHINGTON, D. C. |
| 3 |
TO THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:
-
It has been determined to create a Columbian Liberty
Bell, to be placed by the lovers of liberty and peace in |
| 6 |
the most appropriate place in the coming World's Expo-
sition at Chicago. After the close of the Exhibition this bell will pass
from place to place throughout the world |
| 9 |
as a missionary of freedom, coming first to the capital
of the nation under the care of our society.
Then it will go to Bunker Hill or Liberty Island,
to |
| 12 |
the battle-field of New Orleans ( 1812), to San Francisco,
to the place where any great patriotic celebration is being held,
until 1900, when it will be sent to the next World's |
| 15 |
Exhibition, which takes place at Paris, France. There it
will continue until that Exhibition closes.
When not in use in other places, it will return to
Wash- |
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ington under the care of the Daughters of the American
Revolution. Washington will be its home, and from there it will journey
from place to place, fulfilling its mission |
| 21 |
throughout the world.
The following is the proposed use of the bell: It shall
ring at sunrise and sunset; at nine o'clock in the morn- |
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ing on the anniversaries of the days on which great events
have occurred marking the world's progress toward liberty; at twelve
o'clock on the birthdays of the "creators of |
| 27 |
liberty;" and at four o'clock it will toll on the anniver-
saries of their death. (It will always ring at nine o'clock on October
11th, in recognition of the organization on |
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that day of the Daughters of the American Revolution.) .
. The responsibility of its production, and the direc- tion of its use,
have been placed in the hands of a
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committee of women representing each State and Ter-
ritory, one representative from each Republic in the |
| 3 |
world, and a representative from the patriotic societies,
- Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution, the Lyceum League of
America, the Society of Ger- |
| 6 |
man Patriots, the Human Freedom League, and kindred
organizations.
The National Board of Management has
placed upon |
| 9 |
me the responsibility of representing the National
Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution upon the General
Committee, and this circular is sent to every |
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member of the society, asking for her personal coopera-
tion in making the undertaking successful. In creating the bell it is
particularly desired that the largest number |
| 15 |
of persons possible shall have a part in it. For this
reason small contributions from many persons are to be asked for,
rather than large contributions from a few. They |
| 18 |
are to be of two kinds: -
First: Material that can be made a part of the bell; articles of
historic interest will be particularly appre- |
| 21 |
ciated - gold, silver, bronze, copper, and nickel can be
fused.
Second: Of money with which to pay for the bell. |
| 24 |
Each member of the society is asked to contribute one
cent to be fused into the bell, and twenty-five cents to pay for it. She is
also asked to collect two dollars from |
| 27 |
others, in pennies, if possible, and send with the amount
the name of each contributor. In order that the bell shall be cast April
30th, the anniversary of the inaugu- |
| 30 |
ration of George Washington as the first President of
the United States, we ask every one receiving this cir- cular to act at
once.
Page 306 |
| 1 |
In forwarding material to be melted into the bell, please
send fullest historical description. This will be entered |
| 3 |
carefully in a book which will accompany the bell
wherever it goes.
. . . As the motto has not yet been
decided upon, any |
| 6 |
ideas on that subject will be gratefully received; we
will also welcome suggestions of events to be celebrated and names to
be commemorated. |
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Very cordially yours, MARY DESHA,
ex-Vice-President General, D. A. R. |
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Contributions should be sent to the Liberty National
Bank, corner Liberty and West Streets, New York, and a duplicate letter
written, as a notification of the same, |
| 15 |
to Miss Mary Desha, 1505 Penna. Ave., Washington, D.
C., or to Miss Minnie F. Mickley, Mickleys, Pa.
We would add, as being of interest,
that Mrs. Eddy is |
| 18 |
a member of the above organization, having been made such
by the special request of the late Mrs. Harrison, wife of the ex-President,
who was at that time the Presi- |
| 21 |
dent thereof. - ED.
ANGELS
When angels visit us, we do not hear
the rustle of wings, |
| 24 |
nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but
we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts. Oh, may you
feel this touch, - it is not the |
| 27 |
clasping of hands, nor a loved person present; it is
more than this: it is a spiritual idea that lights your path! The
Psalmist saith: "He shall give His angels charge
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| 1 |
over thee." God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in
turn, they give you daily supplies. Never ask for to- |
| 3 |
morrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever-present
help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every
moment. What a glorious inheritance |
| 6 |
is given to us through the understanding of omnipresent
Love! More we cannot ask: more we do not want: more we cannot have. This
sweet assurance is the |
| 9 |
"Peace, be still" to all human fears, to suffering of
every sort.
DEIFICATION OF
PERSONALITY |
| 12 |
Notwithstanding the rapid sale already of two editions of
"Christ and Christmas," and many orders on hand, I have thought best to
stop its publication. |
| 15 |
In this revolutionary religious period, the increasing
inquiry of mankind as to Christianity and its unity - and above all, God's
love opening the eyes of the blind |
| 18 |
- is fast fitting all minds for the proper reception of
Christian Science healing.
But I must stand on this absolute
basis of Christian |
| 21 |
Science; namely, Cast not pearls before the unprepared
thought. Idolatry is an easily-besetting sin of all peoples. The apostle
saith, "Little children, keep yourselves from |
| 24 |
idols."
The illustrations were not intended
for a golden calf, at which the sick may look and be healed.
Christian |
| 27 |
Scientists should beware of unseen snares, and adhere to
the divine Principle and rules for demonstration. They must guard against
the deification of finite person- |
| 30 |
ality. Every human thought must turn instinctively to
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| 1 |
the divine Mind as its sole centre and intelligence.
Until this be done, man will never be found harmonious and |
| 3 |
immortal.
Whosoever looks to me personally for
his health or holiness, mistakes. He that by reason of human love
or |
| 6 |
hatred or any other cause clings to my material per-
sonality, greatly errs, stops his own progress, and loses the path to
health, happiness, and heaven. The Scrip- |
| 9 |
tures and Christian Science reveal "the way," and per-
sonal revelators will take their proper place in history, but will not be
deified. |
| 12 |
Advanced scientific students are ready for "Christ and
Christmas;" but those are a minority of its readers, and even they know
its practicality only by healing |
| 15 |
the sick on its divine Principle. In the words of the
prophet, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." |
| 18 |
Friends, strangers, and Christian Scientists, I thank
you, each and all, for your liberal patronage and scholarly, artistic, and
scientific notices of my book. This little |
| 21 |
messenger has done its work, fulfilled its mission,
retired with honor (and mayhap taught me more than it has others), only
to reappear in due season. The knowledge |
| 24 |
that I have gleaned from its fruitage is, that intensely
contemplating personality impedes spiritual growth; even as holding in mind
the consciousness of disease prevents |
| 27 |
the recovery of the sick.
Christian Science is taught through
its divine Prin- ciple, which is invisible to corporeal sense. A
material |
| 30 |
human likeness is the antipode of man in the image and
likeness of God. Hence, a finite person is not the model for a
metaphysician. I earnestly advise all Christian |
| 33 |
Scientists to remove from their observation or study
Page 309 |
| 1 |
the personal sense of any one, and not to dwell in
thought upon their own or others' corporeality, either as good or |
| 3 |
evil.
According to Christian Science,
material personality is an error in premise, and must result in erroneous
con- |
| 6 |
clusions. All will agree with me that material
portraiture often fails to express even mortal man, and this declares
its unfitness for fable or fact to build upon. |
| 9 |
The face of Jesus has uniformly been so unnaturally
delineated that it has turned many from the true con- templation of his
character. He advances most in divine |
| 12 |
Science who meditates most on infinite spiritual sub-
stance and intelligence. Experience proves this true. Pondering on the
finite personality of Jesus, the son of |
| 15 |
man, is not the channel through which we reach the
Christ, or Son of God, the true idea of man's divine Principle. |
| 18 |
I warn students against falling into the error of anti-
Christ. The consciousness of corporeality, and what- ever is connected
therewith, must be outgrown. Corporeal |
| 21 |
falsities include all obstacles to health, holiness, and
heaven. Man's individual life is infinitely above a bodily form of
existence, and the human concept an- |
| 24 |
tagonizes the divine. "Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures," on page 229, third and fourth para- graphs, elucidates this
topic.(l) |
| 27 |
My Christmas poem and its illustrations are not a text-
book. Scientists sometimes take things too intensely. Let them soberly
adhere to the Bible and Science and |
| 30 |
Health, which contain all and much more than they have
yet learned. We should prohibit ourselves the
(1) See the revised edition of 1890,
or page 334, in editions
subsequent to 1902.
Page 310 |
| 1 |
childish pleasure of studying Truth through the senses,
for this is neither the intent of my works nor possible |
| 3 |
in Science.
Even the teachings of Jesus would be
misused by sub- stituting personality for the Christ, or the
impersonal |
| 6 |
form of Truth, amplified in this age by the discovery of
Christian Science. To impersonalize scientifically the material sense of
existence - rather than cling to per- |
| 9 |
sonality - is the lesson of to-day.
A CARD
My answer to manifold letters relative
to the return |
| 12 |
of members that have gone out of The First Church of
Christ, Scientist, in Boston, is this: While my affec- tions plead for all
and every one, and my desire is that |
| 15 |
all shall be redeemed, I am not unmindful that the Scrip-
tures enjoin, "Let all things be done decently and in order." |
| 18 |
To continue one's connection with this church, or to
regain it, one must comply with the church rules. All who desire its
fellowship, and to become members of it, |
| 21 |
must send in their petitions to this effect to the Clerk
of the church; and upon a meeting being called, the First Members will
determine the action of the church |
| 24 |
on this subject.
OVERFLOWING
THOUGHTS
In this receding year of religious
jubilee, 1894, I as |
| 27 |
an individual would cordially invite all persons who
have left our fold, together with those who never have
Page 311 |
| 1 |
been in it, - all who love God and keep His command-
ments, - to come and unite with The Mother Church in |
| 3 |
Boston. The true Christian Scientists will be welcomed,
greeted as brethren endeavoring to walk with us hand in hand, as we journey
to the celestial city. |
| 6 |
Also, I would extend a tender invitation to Christian
Scientists' students, those who are ready for the table of our Lord: so,
should we follow Christ's teachings; so, |
| 9 |
bury the dead past; so, loving one another, go forth to
the full vintage-time, exemplifying what we profess. But some of the older
members are not quite ready to take |
| 12 |
this advanced step in the full spirit of that charity
which thinketh no evil; and if it be not taken thus, it is impracti-
cal, unfruitful, Soul-less. |
| 15 |
My deepest desires and daily labors go to prove that I
love my enemies and would help all to gain the abiding consciousness of
health, happiness, and heaven. |
| 18 |
I hate no one; and love others more than they can love
me. As I now understand Christian Science, I would as soon harm myself as
another; since by breaking |
| 21 |
Christ's command, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself," I should lose my hope of heaven.
The works I have written on Christian
Science con- |
| 24 |
tain absolute Truth, and my necessity was to tell it;
therefore I did this even as a surgeon who wounds to heal. I was a scribe
under orders; and who can |
| 27 |
refrain from transcribing what God indites, and ought not
that one to take the cup, drink all of it, and give thanks? |
| 30 |
Being often reported as saying what never escaped from
my lips, when rehearsing facts concerning others who were reporting false
charges, I have been sorry that
Page 312 |
| 1 |
I spoke at all, and wished I were wise enough to guard
against that temptation. Oh, may the love that is talked, |
| 3 |
be felt! and so lived, that when weighed in the
scale of God we be not found wanting. Love is consistent, uni- form,
sympathetic, self-sacrificing, unutterably kind; even |
| 6 |
that which lays all upon the altar, and, speechless and
alone, bears all burdens, suffers all inflictions, endures all piercing for
the sake of others, and for the kingdom |
| 9 |
of heaven's sake.
A GREAT MAN AND HIS
SAYING
Hon. Charles Carrol Bonney, President
of the World's |
| 12 |
Congress Auxiliary, in his remarks before that body,
said, "No more striking manifestation of the interposi- tion of divine
Providence in human affairs has come in |
| 15 |
recent years, than that shown in the raising up of the
body of people known as Christian Scientists, who are called to declare the
real harmony between religion and |
| 18 |
Science, and to restore the waning faith of many in the
verities of the sacred Scriptures."
In honest utterance of veritable
history, and his own |
| 21 |
spiritual discernment, this man must have risen above
worldly schemes, human theorems or hypotheses, to conclusions which reason
too supine or misemployed |
| 24 |
cannot fasten upon. He spake inspired; he touched a tone
of Truth that will continue to reverberate and renew its emphasis
throughout the entire centuries, into the vast |
| 27 |
forever.
Page 313
WORDS OF
COMMENDATION
Editor of The Christian Science
Journal: - Permit me |
| 3 |
to say that your editorial in the August number is
par excellence.
It is a digest of good manners,
morals, methods, and |
| 6 |
means. It points to the scientific spiritual molecule,
pearl, and pinnacle, that everybody needs. May the Christlikeness it
reflects rest on the dear readers, and |
| 9 |
throw the light of penetration on the page; even as the
dawn, kindling its glories in the east, lightens earth's landscape. |
| 12 |
I thank the contributors to The Christian Science
Journal for their jewels of thought, so adapted to the hour, and
without ill-humor or hyperbolic tumor. I |
| 15 |
was impressed by the articles entitled "The New Pas-
tor," by Rev. Lanson P. Norcross, "The Lamp," by Walter Church, "The
Temptation," a poem by J. J. |
| 18 |
Rome, etc.
The field waves its white ensign, the
reapers are strong, the rich sheaves are ripe, the storehouse is ready:
pray |
| 21 |
ye therefore the God of harvest to send forth more
laborers of the excellent sort, and garner the supplies for a world.
CHURCH AND
SCHOOL
Humbly, and, as I believe, divinely
directed, I hereby ordain the Bible, and "Science and Health with
Key |
| 27 |
to the Scriptures," to be hereafter the only pastor of
Page 314 |
| 1 |
The Church of Christ, Scientist, throughout our land and
in other lands. |
| 3 |
From this date the Sunday services of our denomina- tion
shall be conducted by Readers in lieu of pastors. Each church, or society
formed for Sunday worship, |
| 6 |
shall elect two Readers: a male, and a female. One of
these individuals shall open the meeting by reading the hymns, and chapter
(or portion of the chapter) in the |
| 9 |
Bible, lead in silent prayer, and repeat in concert with
the congregation the Lord's Prayer. Also, this First Reader shall give out
any notices from the pulpit, shall |
| 12 |
read the Scriptures indicated in the Sunday School Les-
son of the Christian Science Quarterly, and shall pro- nounce the
benediction. |
| 15 |
The First Reader shall read from my book, "Science and
Health with Key to the Scriptures," alternately in response to the
congregation, the spiritual interpreta- |
| 18 |
tion of the Lord's Prayer; also, shall read all the
selec- tions from Science and Health referred to in the Sunday
Lessons. |
| 21 |
The Reader of the Scriptures shall name, at each reading,
the book, chapter, and verses. The Reader of "Science and Health with Key
to the Scriptures" shall |
| 24 |
commence by announcing the full title of this book, with
the name of its author, and add to this announcement, "the Christian
Science textbook." It is unnecessary to |
| 27 |
repeat the title or page. This form shall also be
observed at the Communion service; the selections from both the Bible
and the Christian Science textbook shall be taken |
| 30 |
from the Quarterly, as heretofore, and this Lesson
shall be such as is adapted to that service. On the first Sunday of
each month, except Communion Sunday, a sermon
Page 315 |
| 1 |
shall be preached to the children, from selections taken
from the Scriptures and Science and Health, especially |
| 3 |
adapted to the occasion, and read after the manner of the
Sunday service. The children's service shall be held on the Sunday
following Communion Day. |
| 6 |
No copies from my books are allowed to be written, and
read from manuscripts, either in private or in pub- lic assemblies, except
by their author. |
| 9 |
Christian Scientists, all over the world, who are let-
terly fit and specially spiritually fitted for teachers, can teach annually
three classes only. They shall teach |
| 12 |
from the Christian Science textbook. Each class shall
consist of not over thirty-three students, carefully selected, and only of
such as have promising proclivities toward |
| 15 |
Christian Science. The teacher shall hold himself mor-
ally obligated to look after the welfare of his students, not only through
class term, but after it; and to watch |
| 18 |
well that they prove sound in sentiment, health, and
practical Christian Science.
Teaching Christian Science shall be no
question of |
| 21 |
money, but of morals and of uplifting the race. Teachers
shall form associations for this purpose; and for the first few years,
convene as often as once in three months. |
| 24 |
Teachers shall not silently mentally address the thought,
to handle it, nor allow their students to do thus, except the individual
needing it asks for mental treatment. |
| 27 |
They shall steadily and patiently strive to educate their
students in conformity to the unerring wisdom and law of God, and shall
enjoin upon them habitually to study |
| 30 |
His revealed Word, the Scriptures, and "Science and
Health with Key to the Scriptures."
They shall teach their students how to
defend them-
Page 316 |
| 1 |
selves against mental malpractice, but never to return
evil for evil; never to attack the malpractitioner, but |
| 3 |
to know the truth that makes free, - and so to be a law
not unto others, but themselves.
CLASS, PULPIT,
STUDENTS' STUDENTS |
| 6 |
When will you take a class in Christian Science or speak
to your church in Boston? is often asked.
I shall speak to my dear church at
Boston very seldom. |
| 9 |
The Mother Church must be self-sustained by God. The date
of a class in Christian Science should depend on the fitness of things, the
tide which flows heavenward, |
| 12 |
the hour best for the student. Until minds become less
worldly-minded, and depart farther from the primitives of the race, and
have profited up to their present capac- |
| 15 |
ity from the written word, they are not ready for the
word spoken at this date.
My juniors can tell others what they
know, and turn |
| 18 |
them slowly toward the haven. Imperative, accumula- tive,
sweet demands rest on my retirement from life's bustle. What, then, of
continual recapitulation of tired |
| 21 |
aphorisms and disappointed ethics; of patching breaches
widened the next hour; of pounding wisdom and love into sounding brass; of
warming marble and quench- |
| 24 |
ing volcanoes! Before entering the Massachusetts Meta-
physical College, had my students achieved the point whence they could have
derived most benefit from their |
| 27 |
pupilage, to-day there would be on earth paragons of
Christianity, patterns of humility, wisdom, and might for the world.
Page 317 |
| 1 |
To the students whom I have not seen that ask, "May I
call you mother?" my heart replies, Yes, if you are |
| 3 |
doing God's work. When born of Truth and Love, we are
all of one kindred.
The hour has struck for Christian
Scientists to do their |
| 6 |
own work; to appreciate the signs of the times; to dem-
onstrate self-knowledge and self-government; and to demonstrate, as this
period demands, over all sin, disease, |
| 9 |
and death. The dear ones whom I would have great pleasure
in instructing, know that the door to my teaching was shut when my College
closed. |
| 12 |
Again, it is not absolutely requisite for some people to
be taught in a class, for they can learn by spiritual growth and by the
study of what is written. Scarcely a |
| 15 |
moiety, compared with the whole of the Scriptures and the
Christian Science textbook, is yet assimilated spirit- ually by the most
faithful seekers; yet this assimilation is |
| 18 |
indispensable to the progress of every Christian
Scientist. These considerations prompt my answers to the above
questions. Human desire is inadequate to adjust the |
| 21 |
balance on subjects of such earnest import. These words
of our Master explain this hour: "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou
shalt know hereafter." |
| 24 |
My sympathies are deeply enlisted for the students of
students; having already seen in many instances their talents, culture, and
singleness of purpose to uplift the |
| 27 |
race. Such students should not pay the penalty for other
people's faults; and divine Love will open the way for them. My soul abhors
injustice, and loves |
| 30 |
mercy. St. John writes: "Whom God hath sent speaketh the
words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by meas- ure unto him."
Page 318
MY STUDENTS AND THY
STUDENTS
Mine and thine are obsolete terms in
absolute Christian |
| 3 |
Science, wherein and whereby the universal brotherhood of
man is stated and demands to be demonstrated. I have a large affection, not
alone for my students, but for thy |
| 6 |
students, - for students of the second generation. I can-
not but love some of those devoted students better than some of mine who
are less lovable or Christly. This |
| 9 |
natural affection for goodness must go on ad libitum
unto the third and fourth and final generation of those who love God
and keep His commandments. Hence the |
| 12 |
following is an amendment of the paragraph on page 47
(1) of "Retrospection and Introspection": -
Any student, having received
instructions in a Primary |
| 15 |
class from me, or from a loyal student of Christian
Science, and afterwards studied thoroughly "Science and Health with Key
to the Scriptures," can enter upon the gospel |
| 18 |
work of teaching Christian Science, and so fulfil the
com- mand of Christ. Before entering this sacred field of labor, the
student must have studied faithfully the latest edi- |
| 21 |
tions of my works, and be a good Bible scholar and a
devout, consecrated Christian.
These are the indispensable demands on
all those who |
| 24 |
become teachers.
UNSEEN SIN
Two points of danger beset mankind;
namely, making |
| 27 |
sin seem either too large or too little: if too large,
we
(1) See edition of 1909.
Page 319 |
| 1 |
are in the darkness of all the ages, wherein the true
sense of the unity of good and the unreality of evil is lost. |
| 3 |
If good is God, even as God is good, then good and evil
can neither be coeval nor coequal, for God is All-in- all. This closes the
argument of aught besides Him, aught |
| 6 |
else than good.
If the sense of sin is too little,
mortals are in danger of not seeing their own belief in sin, but of seeing
too |
| 9 |
keenly their neighbor's. Then they are beset with egotism
and hypocrisy. Here Christian Scientists must be most watchful. Their habit
of mental and audible |
| 12 |
protest against the reality of sin, tends to make sin
less or more to them than to other people. They must either be
overcoming sin in themselves, or they must not lose |
| 15 |
sight of sin; else they are self-deceived sinners of the
worst sort.
A WORD TO THE
WISE |
| 18 |
Will all the dear Christian Scientists accept my tender
greetings for the forthcoming holidays, and grant me this request, - let
the present season pass without one |
| 21 |
gift to me.
Our church edifice must be built in
1894. Take thither thy saintly offerings, and lay them in the
outstretched |
| 24 |
hand of God. The object to be won affords ample oppor-
tunity for the grandest achievement to which Christian Scientists can
direct attention, and feel themselves alone |
| 27 |
among the stars.
No doubt must intervene between the
promise and event; faith and resolve are friends to Truth; seize them,
Page 320 |
| 1 |
trust the divine Providence, push upward our prayer in
stone, - and God will give the benediction.
CHRISTMAS
This interesting day, crowned with the
history of Truth's idea, - its earthly advent and nativity, -
is |
| 6 |
especially dear to the heart of Christian Scientists; to
whom Christ's appearing in a fuller sense is so precious, and fraught with
divine benedictions for mankind. |
| 9 |
The star that looked lovingly down on the manger of our
Lord, lends its resplendent light to this hour: the light of Truth, to
cheer, guide, and bless man as he |
| 12 |
reaches forth for the infant idea of divine perfection
dawning upon human imperfection, - that calms man's fears, bears his
burdens, beckons him on to Truth and |
| 15 |
Love and the sweet immunity these bring from sin, sick-
ness, and death.
This polar star, fixed in the heavens
of divine Science, |
| 18 |
shall be the sign of his appearing who "healeth all our
diseases;" it hath traversed night, wading through darkness and gloom, on
to glory. It doth meet the |
| 21 |
antagonism of error; addressing to dull ears and undis-
ciplined beliefs words of Truth and Life.
The star of Bethlehem is the star of
Boston, high in |
| 24 |
the zenith of Truth's domain, that looketh down on the
long night of human beliefs, to pierce the darkness and melt into
dawn. |
| 27 |
The star of Bethlehem is the light of all ages; is the
light of Love, to-day christening religion undefiled, divine Science;
giving to it a new name, and the white stone in |
| 30 |
token of purity and permanence.
Page 321 |
| 1 |
The wise men follow this guiding star; the watchful
shepherd chants his welcome over the cradle of a great |
| 3 |
truth, and saith, "Unto us a child is born," whose birth
is less of a miracle than eighteen centuries ago; and "his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty |
| 6 |
God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
My heart is filled with joy, that each
receding year sees the steady gain of Truth's idea in Christian Science;
that |
| 9 |
each recurring year witnesses the balance adjusted more
on the side of God, the supremacy of Spirit; as shown by the triumphs of
Truth over error, of health over sick- |
| 12 |
ness, of Life over death, and of Soul over sense.
"The hour cometh, and now is, when the
true wor- shippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in
truth." |
| 15 |
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made me free from the law of sin and death." "Fear not, little flock;
for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you |
| 18 |
the kingdom."
Press on, press on! ye sons
of light, Untiring in your holy fight, |
| 21 |
Still treading each
temptation down, And battling for a brighter crown.
CARD |
| 24 |
In reply to all invitations from Chicago to share the
hospitality of their beautiful homes at any time during the great wonder of
the world, the World's Fair, I say, |
| 27 |
Do not expect me. I have no desire to see or to hear
what is to be offered upon this approaching occasion.
I have a world of wisdom and Love to
contemplate, |
| 30 |
that concerns me, and you, infinitely beyond all earthly
Page 322 |
| 1 |
expositions or exhibitions. In return for your kindness,
I earnestly invite you to its contemplation with me, and |
| 3 |
to preparation to behold it.
MESSAGE TO THE
MOTHER CHURCH
Beloved Brethren: - People coming from a distance |
| 6 |
expecting to hear me speak in The Mother Church, are
frequently disappointed. To avoid this, I may here- after notify the
Directors when I shall be present to |
| 9 |
address this congregation, and the Clerk of the church
can inform correspondents. Your dual and impersonal pastor, the Bible, and
"Science and Health with Key to |
| 12 |
the Scriptures," is with you; and the Life these give,
the Truth they illustrate, the Love they demonstrate, is the great
Shepherd that feedeth my flock, and leadeth |
| 15 |
them "beside the still waters." By any personal pres-
ence, or word of mine, your thought must not be diverted or diverged, your
senses satisfied, or self be justified. |
| 18 |
Therefore, beloved, my often-coming is unnecessary; for,
though I be present or absent, it is God that feed- eth the hungry heart,
that giveth grace for grace, that |
| 21 |
healeth the sick and cleanseth the sinner. For this
consummation He hath given you Christian Science, and my past poor labors
and love. He hath shown you |
| 24 |
the amplitude of His mercy, the justice of His judgment,
the omnipotence of His love; and this, to compensate your zealous affection
for seeking good, and for labor- |
| 27 |
ing in its widening grooves from the infinitesimal to
the infinite.
Page 323
CHAPTER IX
- THE FRUIT OF SPIRIT
AN ALLEGORY
PICTURE to yourself "a city set upon a
hill," a |
| 3 |
celestial city above all clouds, in serene azure and
unfathomable glory: having no temple therein, for God is the temple
thereof; nor need of the sun, neither of the |
| 6 |
moon, for God doth lighten it. Then from this sacred
summit behold a Stranger wending his way downward, to where a few laborers
in a valley at the foot of the moun- |
| 9 |
tain are working and watching for his coming.
The descent and ascent are beset with
peril, priva- tion, temptation, toil, suffering. Venomous serpents
hide |
| 12 |
among the rocks, beasts of prey prowl in the path, wolves
in sheep's clothing are ready to devour; but the Stranger meets and masters
their secret and open attacks with |
| 15 |
serene confidence.
The Stranger eventually stands in the
valley at the foot of the mountain. He saith unto the patient
toilers |
| 18 |
therein: "What do ye here? Would ye ascend the moun-
tain, - climbing its rough cliffs, hushing the hissing serpents, taming the
beasts of prey, -and bathe in its |
| 21 |
streams, rest in its cool grottos, and drink from its
living fountains? The way winds and widens in the valley; up the hill
it is straight and narrow, and few there be that |
| 24 |
find it."
Page 324 |
| 1 |
His converse with the watchers and workers in the valley
closes, and he makes his way into the streets of a |
| 3 |
city made with hands.
Pausing at the threshold of a palatial
dwelling, he knocks and waits. The door is shut. He hears
the |
| 6 |
sounds of festivity and mirth; youth, manhood, and age
gayly tread the gorgeously tapestried parlors, dancing- halls, and
banquet-rooms. But a little while, and the |
| 9 |
music is dull, the wine is unsipped, the footfalls abate,
the laughter ceases. Then from the window of this dwel- ling a face looks
out, anxiously surveying him who waiteth |
| 12 |
at the door.
Within this mortal mansion are
adulterers, fornicators, idolaters; drunkenness, witchcraft, variance,
envy, emu- |
| 15 |
lation, hatred, wrath, murder. Appetites and passions
have so dimmed their sight that he alone who looks from that dwelling,
through the clearer pane of his own heart |
| 18 |
tired of sin, can see the Stranger.
Startled beyond measure at beholding
him, this mortal inmate withdraws; but growing more and more
troubled, |
| 21 |
he seeks to leave the odious company and the cruel walls,
and to find the Stranger. Stealing cautiously away from his comrades, he
departs; then turns back, - he is afraid |
| 24 |
to go on and to meet the Stranger. So he returns to the
house, only to find the lights all wasted and the music fled. Finding no
happiness within, he rushes again |
| 27 |
into the lonely streets, seeking peace but finding none.
Naked, hungry, athirst, this time he struggles on, and at length reaches
the pleasant path of the valley at the |
| 30 |
foot of the mountain, whence he may hopefully look for
the reappearance of the Stranger, and receive his heavenly guidance.
Page 325 |
| 1 |
The Stranger enters a massive carved stone mansion, and
saith unto the dwellers therein, "Blessed are the |
| 3 |
poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
But they understand not his saying.
These are believers of different
sects, and of no sect; |
| 6 |
some, so-called Christian Scientists in sheep's clothing;
and all "drunken without wine." They have small con- ceptions of spiritual
riches, few cravings for the immortal, |
| 9 |
but are puffed up with the applause of the world: they
have plenty of pelf, and fear not to fall upon the Stranger, seize his
pearls, throw them away, and afterwards try to |
| 12 |
kill him.
Somewhat disheartened, he patiently
seeks another dwelling, - only to find its inmates asleep at
noontide! |
| 15 |
Robust forms, with manly brow nodding on cushioned
chairs, their feet resting on footstools, or, flat on their backs, lie
stretched on the floor, dreaming away the |
| 18 |
hours. Balancing on one foot, with eyes half open, the
porter starts up in blank amazement and looks at the Stranger, calls out,
rubs his eyes, - amazed beyond |
| 21 |
measure that anybody is animated with a purpose, and
seen working for it!
They in this house are those that
"provoke Him in |
| 24 |
the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert." Away from
this charnel-house of the so-called living, the Stranger turns quickly,
and wipes off the dust from his feet as a |
| 27 |
testimony against sensualism in its myriad forms. As he
departs, he sees robbers finding ready ingress to that dwelling of sleepers
in the midst of murderous hordes, |
| 30 |
without watchers and the doors unbarred!
Next he enters a place of worship, and
saith unto them, "Go ye into all the world; preach the gospel, heal the
Page 326 |
| 1 |
sick, cast out devils, raise the dead; for the Scripture
saith the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath |
| 3 |
made you free from the law of sin and death." And
they cast him out.
Once more he seeks the dwelling-place
of mortals and |
| 6 |
knocks loudly. The door is burst open, and sufferers
shriek for help: that house is on fire! The flames caught in the dwelling
of luxury, where the blind saw them not, |
| 9 |
but the flesh at length did feel them; thence they spread
to the house of slumberers who heeded them not, until they became
unmanageable; fed by the fat of hypocrisy |
| 12 |
and vainglory, they consumed the next dwelling; then
crept unseen into the synagogue, licking up the blood of martyrs and
wrapping their altars in ruins. "God is a |
| 15 |
consuming fire."
Thus are all mortals, under every hue
of circumstances, driven out of their houses of clay and, homeless
wan- |
| 18 |
derers in a beleaguered city, forced to seek the Father's
house, if they would be led to the valley and up the mount. |
| 21 |
Seeing the wisdom of withdrawing from those who
persistently rejected him, the Stranger returned to the valley; first, to
meet with joy his own, to wash their |
| 24 |
feet, and take them up the mountain. Well might this
heavenly messenger exclaim, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the
prophets, and stonest them which |
| 27 |
are sent unto thee, . . . Behold, your house is left
unto you desolate."
Discerning in his path the penitent
one who had groped |
| 30 |
his way from the dwelling of luxury, the Stranger saith
unto him, "Wherefore comest thou hither?"
He answered, "The sight of thee
unveiled my sins, and
Page 327 |
| 1 |
turned my misnamed joys to sorrow. When I went back into
the house to take something out of it, my misery |
| 3 |
increased; so I came hither, hoping that I might follow
thee whithersoever thou goest."
And the Stranger saith unto him, "Wilt
thou climb |
| 6 |
the mountain, and take nothing of thine own with thee?"
He answered, "I will."
"Then," saith the Stranger, "thou hast
chosen the |
| 9 |
good part; follow me."
Many there were who had entered the
valley to specu- late in worldly policy, religion, politics, finance, and
to |
| 12 |
search for wealth and fame. These had heavy baggage of
their own, and insisted upon taking all of it with them, which must greatly
hinder their ascent. |
| 15 |
The journey commences. The encumbered travellers halt
and disagree. They stoutly belay those who, hav- ing less baggage, ascend
faster than themselves, and |
| 18 |
betimes burden them with their own. Despairing of gaining
the summit, loaded as they are, they conclude to stop and lay down a few of
the heavy weights, - but |
| 21 |
only to take them up again, more than ever determined
not to part with their baggage.
All this time the Stranger is pointing
the way, show- |
| 24 |
ing them their folly, rebuking their pride, consoling
their afflictions, and helping them on, saying, "He that loseth his
life for my sake, shall find it." |
| 27 |
Obstinately holding themselves back, and sore-footed,
they fall behind and lose sight of their guide; when, stumbling and
grumbling, and fighting each other, they |
| 30 |
plunge headlong over the jagged rocks.
Then he who has no baggage goes back
and kindly binds up their wounds, wipes away the blood stains, and
Page 328 |
| 1 |
would help them on; but suddenly the Stranger shouts,
"Let them alone; they must learn from the things they |
| 3 |
suffer. Make thine own way; and if thou strayest, listen
for the mountain-horn, and it will call thee back to the path that goeth
upward." |
| 6 |
Dear reader, dost thou suspect that the valley is hu-
mility, that the mountain is heaven-crowned Christianity, and the Stranger
the ever-present Christ, the spiritual |
| 9 |
idea which from the summit of bliss surveys the vale of
the flesh, to burst the bubbles of earth with a breath of heaven, and
acquaint sensual mortals with the mystery |
| 12 |
of godliness, - unchanging, unquenchable Love? Hast not
thou heard this Christ knock at the door of thine own heart, and closed it
against Truth, to "eat and drink |
| 15 |
with the drunken"? Hast thou been driven by suffer- ing
to the foot of the mount, but earth-bound, burdened by pride, sin, and
self, hast thou turned back, stumbled, |
| 18 |
and wandered away? Or hast thou tarried in the habita-
tion of the senses, pleased and stupefied, until wakened through the
baptism of fire? |
| 21 |
He alone ascends the hill of Christian Science who
follows the Way-shower, the spiritual presence and idea of God. Whatever
obstructs the way, - causing to |
| 24 |
stumble, fall, or faint, those mortals who are striving
to enter the path, - divine Love will remove; and up- lift the fallen and
strengthen the weak. Therefore, give |
| 27 |
up thy earth-weights; and observe the apostle's admoni-
tion, "Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those which are before." Then, |
| 30 |
loving God supremely and thy neighbor as thyself, thou
wilt safely bear thy cross up to the throne of everlasting glory.
Page 329
VOICES OF SPRING
Mine is an obstinate penchant
for nature in all her |
| 3 |
moods and forms, a satisfaction with whatever is hers.
And what shall this be named, a weakness, or a - virtue? |
| 6 |
In spring, nature like a thrifty housewife sets the earth
in order; and between taking up the white carpets and putting down the
green ones, her various apartments are |
| 9 |
dismally dirty.
Spring is my sweetheart, whose voices
are sad or glad, even as the heart may be; restoring in memory the
sweet |
| 12 |
rhythm of unforgotten harmonies, or touching tenderly
its tearful tones.
Spring passes over mountain and
meadow, waking up |
| 15 |
the world; weaving the wavy grass, nursing the timid
spray, stirring the soft breeze; rippling all nature in ceaseless flow,
with "breath all odor and cheek all bloom." |
| 18 |
Whatever else droops, spring is gay: her little feet trip
lightly on, turning up the daisies, paddling the water- cresses, rocking
the oriole's cradle; challenging the sed- |
| 21 |
entary shadows to activity, and the streams to race for
the sea. Her dainty fingers put the fur cap on pussy-willow, paint in
pink the petals of arbutus, and sweep in soft |
| 24 |
strains her Orphean lyre. "The voice of the turtle is
heard in our land." The snow-bird that tarried through the storm, now
chirps to the breeze; the cuckoo sounds |
| 27 |
her invisible lute, calling the feathered tribe back to
their summer homes. Old robin, though stricken to the heart with
winter's snow, prophesies of fair earth and sunny |
| 30 |
skies. The brooklet sings melting murmurs to merry
Page 330 |
| 1 |
meadows; the leaves clap their hands, and the winds make
melody through dark pine groves. |
| 3 |
What is the anthem of human life?
Has love ceased to moan over the
new-made grave, and, looking upward, does it patiently pray for the
per- |
| 6 |
petual springtide wherein no arrow wounds the dove? Human
hope and faith should join in nature's grand har- mony, and, if on minor
key, make music in the heart. |
| 9 |
And man, more friendly, should call his race as gently to
the springtide of Christ's dear love. St. Paul wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord
always." And why not, since man's |
| 12 |
possibilities are infinite, bliss is eternal, and the
conscious- ness thereof is here and now?
The alders bend over the streams to
shake out their |
| 15 |
tresses in the water-mirrors; let mortals bow before the
creator, and, looking through Love's transparency, behold man in God's own
image and likeness, arranging in the |
| 18 |
beauty of holiness each budding thought. It is good to
talk with our past hours, and learn what report they bear, and how they
might have reported more spirit- |
| 21 |
ual growth. With each returning year, higher joys, holier
aims, a purer peace and diviner energy, should freshen the fragrance of
being. Nature's first and last |
| 24 |
lessons teach man to be kind, and even pride should
sanction what our natures need. Popularity, - what is it? A mere mendicant
that boasts and begs, and God |
| 27 |
denies charity.
When gentle violet lifts its blue eye
to heaven, and crown imperial unveils its regal splendor to the
sun; |
| 30 |
when the modest grass, inhabiting the whole earth,
stoops meekly before the blast; when the patient corn waits on the
elements to put forth its slender blade, construct
Page 331 |
| 1 |
the stalk, instruct the ear, and crown the full corn in
the ear, - then, are mortals looking up, waiting on God, |
| 3 |
and committing their way unto Him who tosses earth's mass
of wonders into their hands? When downtrodden like the grass, did it make
them humble, loving, obedi- |
| 6 |
ent, full of good odor, and cause them to wait patiently
on God for man's rich heritage, - "dominion over all the earth"? Thus
abiding in Truth, the warmth and |
| 9 |
sunlight of prayer and praise and understanding will
ripen the fruits of Spirit, and goodness will have its spring- tide of
freedom and greatness. |
| 12 |
When the white-winged dove feeds her callow brood,
nestles them under her wings, and, in tones tremulous with tenderness,
calls them to her breast, do mortals |
| 15 |
remember their cradle hymns, and thank God for
those redemptive words from a mother's lips which taught them the
Lord's Prayer? |
| 18 |
O gentle presence, peace and
joy and power; O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour; Thou Love
that guards the nestling's faltering flight! |
| 21 |
Keep Thou my child on upward
wing to-night.
Midst the falling leaves of old-time faiths, above the
frozen crust of creed and dogma, the divine Mind-force, |
| 24 |
filling all space and having all power, upheaves the
earth. In sacred solitude divine Science evolved nature as thought, and
thought as things. This supreme potential Principle |
| 27 |
reigns in the realm of the real, and is "God with us,"
the I AM.
As mortals awake from their dream of
material sen- |
| 30 |
sation, this adorable, all-inclusive God, and all
earth's hieroglyphics of Love, are understood; and infinite Mind
Page 332 |
| 1 |
is seen kindling the stars, rolling the worlds,
reflecting all space and Life, - but not life in matter. Wisely |
| 3 |
governing, informing the universe, this Mind is Truth, -
not laws of matter. Infinitely just, merciful, and wise, this Mind is Love,
- but not fallible love. |
| 6 |
Spring is here! and doors that closed on Christian
Science in "the long winter of our discontent," are open flung. Its
seedtime has come to enrich earth and en- |
| 9 |
robe man in righteousness; may its sober-suited autumn
follow with hues of heaven, ripened sheaves, and harvest songs.
"WHERE ART
THOU?"
In the allegory of Genesis, third
chapter and ninth verse, two mortals, walking in the cool of the day
midst |
| 15 |
the stately palms, many-hued blossoms, perfume-laden
breezes, and crystal streams of the Orient, pondered the things of man and
God. |
| 18 |
A sense of evil is supposed to have spoken, been listened
to, and afterwards to have formed an evil sense that blinded the eyes of
reason, masked with deformity the |
| 21 |
glories of revelation, and shamed the face of mortals.
What was this sense? Error versus
Truth: first, a supposition; second, a false belief; third,
suffering; |
| 24 |
fourth, death.
Is man the supposer, false believer,
sufferer? Not man, but a mortal - the antipode of immortal |
| 27 |
man. Supposing, false believing, suffering are not fac-
ulties of Mind, but are qualities of error.
The supposition is, that God and His idea
are not all- |
| 30 |
power; that there is something besides Him; that this
Page 333 |
| 1 |
something is intelligent matter; that sin - yea, self-
hood - is apart from God, where pleasure and pain, |
| 3 |
good and evil, life and death, commingle, and are for-
ever at strife; even that every ray of Truth, of infinity, omnipotence,
omnipresence, goodness, could be absorbed |
| 6 |
in error! God cannot be obscured, and this renders error
a palpable falsity, yea, nothingness; on the basis that black is not a
color because it absorbs all the rays of |
| 9 |
light.
The "Alpha and Omega" of Christian
Science voices this question: Where do we hold intelligence to be?
Is |
| 12 |
it in both evil and good, in matter as well as Spirit? If
so, we are literally and practically denying that God, good, is supreme,
all power and presence, and are turn- |
| 15 |
ing away from the only living and true God, to "lords
many and gods many."
Where art thou, O mortal! who turnest
away from |
| 18 |
the divine source of being, - calling on matter to work
out the problem of Mind, to aid in understanding and securing the sweet
harmonies of Spirit that relate to the |
| 21 |
universe, including man?
Paul asked: "What communion hath light
with dark- ness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial?"
The |
| 24 |
worshippers of Baal worshipped the sun. They believed
that something besides God had authority and power, could heal and bless;
that God wrought through matter |
| 27 |
- by means of that which does not reflect Him in a single
quality or quantity! - the grand realities of Mind, thus to exemplify the
power of Truth and Love. |
| 30 |
The ancient Chaldee hung his destiny out upon the
heavens; but ancient or modern Christians, instructed in divine Science,
know that the prophet better understood
Page 334 |
| 1 |
Him who said: "He doeth according to His will in the army
of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; |
| 3 |
and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest
Thou?"
Astrology is well in its place, but
this place is second- |
| 6 |
ary. Necromancy has no foundation, - in fact, no
intelligence; and the belief that it has, deceives itself. Whatever
simulates power and Truth in matter, does this |
| 9 |
as a lie declaring itself, that mortals' faith in matter
may have the effect of power; but when the whole fabrication is found
to be a lie, away goes all its supposed power and |
| 12 |
prestige.
Why do Christian Scientists treat
disease as disease, since there is no disease? |
| 15 |
This is done only as one gives the lie to a lie; because
it is a lie, without one word of Truth in it. You must find error to be
nothing: then, and only then, do you |
| 18 |
handle it in Science. The diabolism of suppositional evil
at work in the name of good, is a lie of the highest degree of nothingness:
just reduce this falsity to its proper |
| 21 |
denomination, and you have done with it.
How shall we treat a negation, or
error - by means of matter, or Mind? Is matter Truth? No! Then
it |
| 24 |
cannot antidote error.
Can belief destroy belief? No:
understanding is re- quired to do this. By the substitution of Truth
demon- |
| 27 |
strated, Science remedies the ills of material beliefs.
Because I have uncovered evil, and
dis-covered for you divine Science, which saith, "Be not overcome
of |
| 30 |
evil, but overcome evil with good," and you have not
loved sufficiently to understand this Golden Rule and demonstrate the might
of perfect Love that casteth out
Page 335 |
| 1 |
all fear, shall you turn away from this divine Principle
to graven images? Remember the Scripture: - |
| 3 |
"But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My
lord delayeth his coming;
"And shall begin to smite his
fellow-servants, and to |
| 6 |
eat and drink with the drunken;
"The lord of that servant shall come
in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is
not |
| 9 |
aware of,
"And shall cut him asunder, and
appoint him his por- tion with the hypocrites." |
| 12 |
One mercilessly assails me for opposing the subtle lie,
others charge upon me with full-fledged invective for, as they say, having
too much charity; but neither moves |
| 15 |
me from the path made luminous by divine Love.
In my public works I lay bare the
ability, in belief, of evil to break the Decalogue, - to murder, steal,
commit |
| 18 |
adultery, and so on. Those who deny my wisdom or right to
expose error, are either willing participants in wrong, afraid of its
supposed power, or ignorant of it. |
| 21 |
The notion that one is covering iniquity by asserting its
nothingness, is a fault of zealots, who, like Peter, sleep when the Watcher
bids them watch, and when the |
| 24 |
hour of trial comes would cut off somebody's ears. Such
people say, "Would you have me get out of a burning house, or stay in
it?" |
| 27 |
I would have you already out, and know that you
are out; also, to remember the Scripture concerning those who do evil
that good may come, - "whose damnation |
| 30 |
is just;" and that whoso departeth from divine Science,
seeking power or good aside from God, has done himself harm.
Page 336 |
| 1 |
Mind is supreme: Love is the master of hate; Truth, the
victor over a lie. Hath not Science voiced this les- |
| 3 |
son to you, - that evil is powerless, that a lie is never
true? It is your province to wrestle with error, to handle the serpent and
bruise its head; but you cannot, as a |
| 6 |
Christian Scientist, resort to stones and clubs,-yea, to
matter, - to kill the serpent of a material mind.
Do you love that which represents God
most, His high- |
| 9 |
est idea as seen to-day? No!
Then you would hate Jesus if you saw
him personally, and knew your right obligations towards him. He
would |
| 12 |
insist on the rule and demonstration of divine Science:
even that you first cast out your own dislike and hatred of God's idea, -
the beam in your own eye that hinders |
| 15 |
your seeing clearly how to cast the mote of evil out of
other eyes. You cannot demonstrate the Principle of Christian Science and
not love its idea: we gather not |
| 18 |
grapes of thorns, nor figs of thistles.
Where art thou?
DIVINE
SCIENCE |
| 21 |
What is it but another name for Christian Science, the
cognomen of all true religion, the quintessence of Christianity, that heals
disease and sin and destroys |
| 24 |
death! Part and parcel of Truth and Love, wherever one
ray of its effulgence looks in upon the heart, behold a better man, woman,
or child. |
| 27 |
Science is the fiat of divine intelligence, which, hoary
with eternity, touches time only to take away its frailty. That it rests on
everlasting foundations, the sequence |
| 30 |
proves.
Page 337 |
| 1 |
Have I discovered and founded at this period Chris- tian
Science, that which reveals the truth of Love, - is |
| 3 |
the question.
And how can you be certain of so
momentous an affirmative? By proving its effect on yourself to be
- |
| 6 |
divine.
What is the Principle and rule of
Christian Science?
Infinite query! Wonder in heaven and
on earth, - |
| 9 |
who shall say? The immaculate Son of the Blessed has
spoken of them as the Golden Rule and its Principle, God who is Love.
Listen, and he illustrates the rule: |
| 12 |
"Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the
midst of them, and said, . . . Whosoever . . . shall humble himself as this
little child, the same is greatest |
| 15 |
in the kingdom of heaven."
Harmony is heaven. Science brings out
harmony; but this harmony is not understood unless it produces
a |
| 18 |
growing affection for all good, and consequent disaffec-
tion for all evil, hypocrisy, evil-speaking, lust, envy, hate. Where these
exist, Christian Science has no sure foot- |
| 21 |
hold: they obscure its divine element, and thus seem to
extinguish it. Even the life of Jesus was belittled and belied by
personalities possessing these defacing de- |
| 24 |
formities. Only the devout Marys, and such as lived
according to his precepts, understood the concrete char- acter of him who
taught - by the wayside, in humble |
| 27 |
homes, to itching ears and to dull disciples - the words
of Life.
The ineffable Life and light which he
reflected through |
| 30 |
divine Science is again reproduced in the character
which sensualism, as heretofore, would hide or besmear. Sin of any sort
tends to hide from an individual this grand
Page 338 |
| 1 |
verity in Science, that the appearing of good in an in-
dividual involves the disappearing of evil. He who first |
| 3 |
brings to humanity some great good, must have gained its
height beforehand, to be able to lift others toward it. I first proved to
myself, not by "words," - these |
| 6 |
afford no proof, - but by demonstration of Christian
Science, that its Principle is divine. All must go and do likewise. |
| 9 |
Faith illumined by works; the spiritual understanding
which cannot choose but to labor and love; hope hold- ing steadfastly to
good in the midst of seething evil; |
| 12 |
charity that suffereth long and is kind, but cancels not
sin until it be destroyed, - these afford the only rule I have found which
demonstrates Christian Science. |
| 15 |
And remember, a pure faith in humanity will subject one
to deception; the uses of good, to abuses from evil; and calm strength will
enrage evil. But the very heavens |
| 18 |
shall laugh at them, and move majestically to your de-
fense when the armies of earth press hard upon you.
"Thou must be true
thyself, |
| 21 |
If thou the truth wouldst
teach; Thy soul must overflow, if thou Another's soul wouldst
reach; |
| 24 |
It needs the overflow of
heart, To give the lips full speech.
"Think truly, and thy
thoughts |
| 27 |
Shall the world's famine
feed; Speak truly, and each word of thine Shall be a fruitful
seed; |
| 30 |
Live truly, and thy life
shall be A great and noble creed."
|